Progressive Blogs Sell Out To Big Oil

If you're not familiar with dirty Canadian tar sands, let me give you a quick rundown of the process & where things stand right now:

1. Oil companies bulldozes the pristine forest to dig up tar sands, oil mixed with dirt. Leftover sludge is dumped into "tailings ponds" where it kills thousands of birds.
2. The mining & refining process releases three times the global warming pollution compared to conventional oil
3. Canadian tar sands giant TransCanada is currently pressuring the Obama administration to let it build a new Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to deliver its dirty fuel to the Gulf Coast, where it would be refined & shipped with no guarantee the oil would be sold to American consumers. What would be guaranteed? Massive profits for Koch Industries.
4. Homeowners along the proposed pipeline route have already gotten a menacing letter from TransCanada warning eminent domain could be used to seize their homes if they don't sell out now (where's the Tea Party eminent domain anger on this?)
5. Here's the kicker: The tar sands pipeline would actually increase gas prices in the Midwest

So how are national progressive blogs reacting to the story? By cashing in! DailyKos sold its top-of-page banner and its wallpaper to TransCanada today:

Talking Points Memo sold a banner, the wallpaper AND an inset ad above its top story:

FireDogLake sold TransCanada its banner to go along with not one but three BP inset ads on its front page:

Even the Center for American Progress - a progressive nonprofit - has a BP inset ad on ThinkProgress.org:

Worth mentioning that Huffington Post right now doesn't have any ads from TransCanada or BP. If you see any other TransCanada ads on progressive blogs I've missed, email me.

As a friend told me today, "When you're spending $11 billion on a house, loose change can buy a lot of wallpaper." What I don't understand is why progressive blogs think it's OK to cash checks from people who make their money by destroying our air, water & wildlife.

Before your blood stops boiling, be sure to ask the Obama administration to say no to tar sands.

Like Mosquitoes? You'll Love White-Nose Syndrome

Even with just a few warm days last week, bugs were already buzzing around in my backyard. And this summer's swarm of mosquitoes could be even larger than usual thanks to a new plague that's wiping out bats - white-nose syndrome:

Scientists are comparing this onslaught to the devastation of the buffalo, the passenger pigeon and the American chestnut tree.

And all the bats want to do is eat the mosquitoes that make us miserable and the bugs that damage our crops and gardens.

It's now moved into Virginia:

Virginia scientists check the bats in about 20 key caves every other year. The 2011 count began last month, and the numbers are bleak.

At Coon Cave in Bland County, for example, the number of little brown bats fell from nearly 1,300 in pre-white-nose times to 94 — a 93 percent drop.

What's the government doing to stop it? Not much. While local government spend an estimated half a billion dollars a year to fight mosquitoes, the federal government is only spending a little over a million a year to investigate white-nose syndrome:

Mollie Matteson, a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, a national environmental group, said the federal government needs to move more quickly and put up more money to fight white-nose.

"Four million dollars over a number of years is really pretty peanuts," she said.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has introduced the Wildlife Disease Emergency Act of 2011 to better understand diseases like white-nose syndrome. But considering Republicans these days don't see danger in volcano eruptions, I'm skeptical about their ability to take white-nose syndrome seriously.

To learn much more about white-nose syndrome, check out National Geographic magazine's chilling article, Bat Crash.

Corn Syrup Blondie Definitely Wouldn't Have Been As Catchy

The Green Miles lived in Plattsburgh, NY for two years. Living on the shores of Lake Champlain, it's impossible to avoid developing a hardcore addiction to Vermont maple syrup. So when I saw Ben & Jerry's Maple Blondie ice cream, I had to try it.

But I was disappointed the ice cream lacked a true maple bite. The Impulsive Buy's review nailed it - if I hadn't seen the package, I'd have guessed it was butterscotch ice cream.

A look at the ingredient list helped explain it - the ice cream contains more cane sugar and corn syrup than maple syrup:

I'm guessing this is an example of a company cutting corners to keep all its products the same price (and keep them delivering the right profit margin). But I'd rather pay more for maple ice cream that actually tastes like maple.

In a related story, Ben & Jerry's has agreed to phase out its use of the phrase "all natural" after being pressured by The Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Stand In The Place Where I Live (Now Face East)

A sliver of spring arrived in my apartment this week in the form of a ray of sunshine. It's not much, and only stays for a few minutes every morning, but considering my apartment hasn't seen any direct sun since last fall, it's enough to make me want to break out my This Is Why I'm Hot t-shirt.

The Green Miles' apartment in East Falls Church faces to the east. What that means is I got hours of direct sun in the summer & no sun at all in the winter - the opposite of what you'd want for optimal heating & cooling. Ideally, as many of your home's windows as possible should face south - that way the sun passes overhead in the summer but gives you lots of free heat in the winter.

And now I give you the video for REM's "Stand," which looks so dated it makes 1988 seem like a lot longer than 23 years ago ... wait, 23 years IS a long time. Apparently I'm just old.

Metro Funding Update, LCV Scorecard & New Climate Studies

I don't usually do a links roundup, but it's a busy morning, so ...

• With national Republicans targeting your commute, Fairfax's Rep. Gerry Connolly & Del. Scott Surovell call for Gov. Bob McDonnell to put Virginia's needs ahead of partisan politics
• The League of Conservation Voters has released its updated Congressional scorecard, here's a direct link to the report for Virginia's delegation
• And as Congress debates whether it should do even less about the climate crisis, two new studies say global warming is fueling extreme weather

Gas Price Hikes Only OK When Money Goes To Big Oil

In the Washington Post, Steve Pearlstein says raising the gas tax by 60 cents last year would've been seen as political suicide. But gas prices have gone up 60 cents just the same, and instead of funding desperately needed repairs to Metro or our crumbling roads & bridges, the money has gone to BP, ExxonMobil, Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the list goes on.

And what's been the impact of those gas price hikes?

During that same period, private businesses created 1.2 million jobs and recorded near-record profits, stock prices rose by more than 20 percent and auto sales were brisk enough that General Motors recently handed out $4,000 profit-sharing checks to each of its unionized workers.

History will also record that, during that same time period, not one politician that I am aware of took to the floor of the House or Senate to denounce this "job-killing" 23 percent increase in the price of gasoline.

Doesn't exactly sound like the predicted Armageddon, does it? What anti-tax ideologues will never admit is that there are certain taxes - the gas tax, cigarette taxes, the estate tax - that you can raise with limited economic impact (and contrary to conventional wisdom, an increase in the gas tax is not regressive).

Even though gas prices are back above $3 a gallon, consumption remains near historic highs. Gas consumption just doesn't respond to price changes very quickly - if the price of beer goes up today, I can switch to wine tonight; but if the price of gas goes up today, it might take months or years to change my habits or living arrangements - and if I have kids in school, my hands might be completely tied.

The best way to reduce energy costs for drivers is by increasing vehicle fuel efficiency, which the Obama administration is doing. But when consumption goes down, gas tax revenue goes down, meaning we have less money for transit, roads & bridges. So a gas tax increase makes sense, but as the Car Talk guys famously pointed out, politicians are too wussy to do it.

Congressional GOP Targets DC Commuters

The DC region's Metro system is already facing a $72 million budget gap. Now, to close .01% of this year's federal deficit, Republicans in the U.S. House want to slash another $150 million from this year's Metro budget:

House Republicans have proposed a "continuing resolution" to fund the federal government with deep cuts, including no federal payment for Metro repairs and cuts to many federally-funded DC services including the courts.

The list of cuts removes the entirety of the $150 million annual capital contribution to WMATA, which just began last year. The federal government makes no other contribution for Metro beyond general formula transportation dollars that go to states and localities.

But hey, why should House Republicans & their staff worry about Metro? Taxpayers fund their free parking.

And if Metro breakdowns force more commuters onto the roads? That's not really such a big deal for the GOP either - they have to come into work less these days anyway. Under Speaker John Boehner, the GOP is taking fewer votes & spending much less time in session than did their Democratic counterparts.

Of course, the Metro cut is just the tip of iceberg of suckitude that is the House Continuing Resolution. It slashes funding for education & health care while protecting billions in subsidies for Big Oil & hundreds of millions more in pork barrel spending for Speaker John Boehner's district.

This Valentine's Day, Can Eric Cantor Find Polluter Love?

Greenpeace has updated PolluterHarmony.com for the 112th Congress:



Guess who's among the featured profiles? Virginia's own Rep. Eric Cantor.

Who'll Be Virginia's Next U.S. Senator?

With Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) announcing he won't seek another term in 2012, Tim Kaine & Tom Perriello are at the top of the list of potential Democratic candidates.

While I'd certainly give Kaine my full support against an oil shill like George Allen, Kaine wasn't willing to stand up to coal special interests while he was Virginia's governor.

Perriello, on the other hand, was one of America's top fighters for clean energy & climate action while he served Virginia's 5th Congressional district, and wasn't afraid to tell his colleagues in the upper chamber to get moving.

I'd strongly encourage you to "like" Draft Perriello on Facebook.

"Here's The Chicken You'll Be Enjoying. His Name Is Colin."

Are you a smug treehugger? Or can you laugh at yourself?

Watch the new IFC series Portlandia starring Fred Armisen & Carrie Brownstein and you'll find out:

2011 Southeast Sustainable Seafood Guide

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has updated its indispensable Southeast Sustainable Seafood Guide (PDF) for 2011. If you find it hard to know which fish to buy & which to avoid when you're at the grocery store or out to dinner, print it out & stick it in your wallet. Other regions are available at MontereyBayAquarium.org.

WTOP Earns Golden Ostrich Nomination

Last night as I was listening to WTOP radio, Shawn Anderson read a story about how polar bears are struggling with less ice and how the Pacific walruses is now considered threatened - without using the words "climate" or "global warming."

(Puts on Jon Gruden voice) Now, Shawn Anderson, you talk about THIS GUY, you talk about a guy who knows how to keep his head down. I mean, this guy knows if you point out scientific fact, people who find that politically inconvenient are just gonna get mad at ya! So why do it? YOU DON'T! I'm tellin' ya, you could put this guy in the middle of any controversy in any era - cigarettes causing cancer, CFCs destroying the ozone layer - and this guy's gonna give it his all to avoid giving you the whole story.

See the rest of the Golden Ostrich nominees, or if you see or hear a story that avoids or obfuscates climate science, email me your nomination.

The Conservationist's Guide to Hating Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder

Don't watch football? Maybe you don't even follow sports? It's OK - if you care at all about the environment, sustainability or conservation, you can still hate Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.

When The Green Miles moved to the DC area nine years ago, I put myself on the Redskins season ticket waiting list, figuring that by the time my name came up, I'd be following the home team. But when my spot came up several years back, I realized that while I consider myself a Nationals fan and follow both the Wizards & Capitals ... I kinda hate the Redskins.

It's nothing against their players, coaches or fans. It's that they have one of the worst owners in professional sports (bad owners must thank their lucky stars every day for the continued existence of Donald Sterling, far & away the worst owner).

Daniel Snyder possesses an amazing ability to make Redskins fans hate themselves for caring about his team. Making the same mistakes in building a team, over & over. Getting caught squeezing every last cent out of his customers, over & over. And within Washington City Paper writer Dave McKenna's indispensable (and now infamous) The Cranky Redskins Fan's Guide to Daniel Snyder, we find plenty of reasons for conservationists to hate The Danny, too.

Daniel Snyder vs. Pedestrians

"Whaddya mean you couldn't walk into the stadium??" People are always dumbfounded when they hear Daniel Snyder once had pedestrians banned. It's like a perfect storm of nonsense & evil:

Safety: Bogus excuse used to get a ban on pedestrian traffic into FedExField on game days in 2000. After a class action lawsuit alleged that the ban was really intended to increase parking revenues at the stadium, the ban was overturned. In 2007, Snyder again cited safety to get offsite parking banned by the town council in Agawam, Mass., home of Six Flags New England. Parking rates at the theme park tripled after his 2005 takeover of Six Flags. When the Agawam council learned about the earlier pedestrian-safety controversy at FedEx, it undid the ban.

Yes, Daniel Snyder thinks pedestrians are bad for business. All that free, zero-carbon travel keeps Snyder from charging up to $35 for parking! (On top of their generic stadium being inconveniently located, the Redskins Fan Cost Index is 9th-highest in the league.)

What about Metro? When a federal rules change meant WMATA couldn't provide service, the Redskins refused to provide bus service. Granted, it's only a 20 minute walk, and with game-day traffic, the Metro bus didn't make it there any faster, so taking a pass on the shuttle wasn't unreasonable.

What WAS ridiculous was the reason the Redskins gave: The shuttle would've been too expensive. That's right - the team with an annual operating income of $104 million couldn't spare a few bucks to give fans a ride to Metro. That'd mean one less ivory back scratcher for Daniel Snyder!

Daniel Snyder vs. Trees

What good is having a mansion overlooking the Potomac River if there are hundreds of vertical structures blocking your view down the hill?

Unobstructed View: What Snyder wanted of the Potomac River from the back of his Montgomery County home. To accomplish this, he cut down trees protected by the National Park Service. The episode marked one of the rare times Snyder got crisis PR help. He retained Mike Sitrick, who helped with damage control for the Michael Jackson family after the pop star’s death and Paris Hilton after one of her arrests.

Snyder paid a $37,000 settlement & re-planted new trees, but with no old growth trees to hold the soil in place, erosion has killed many of the new trees. As of 2010 - six years after Snyder's original tree-cutting - the hill was still in disrepair.

Daniel Snyder vs. The Air We Breathe

The Redskins conservation program seems to consist entirely of some recycling & using products made of recycled or environmentally-friendly material. Which would be awesome, if this was 1979.

Meanwhile, the Redskins' division rival Philadelphia Eagles are blowing the Redskins' meager efforts away - using 100% clean energy, planting trees, and recycling more than three times as much annual waste as the Redskins do.

We're in an era when even Fenway Park has solar panels. Yet according to the Redskins' website, the team is  doing nothing on clean energy or local environmental outreach.

Worse yet, Daniel Snyder & the Redskins are major contributors to Republicans who deny we need to do anything about global warming, from George W. Bush to Bob McDonnell to Frank Wolf.

Daniel Snyder vs. The First Amendment

To punish the Washington City Paper & Dave McKenna, Daniel Snyder is threatening to sue City Paper & is demanding McKenna be fired. As TBD.com has pointed out, with the lawsuit's shaky factual basis, the McKenna demand may be a tell - Snyder may be looking for retribution against a journalist whose reporting has cost Snyder money.

If you don't think billionaires should be able to bully news organizations whose accurate reporting casts them in an unflattering light, consider making a donation ($10? $25? $50?) to the Washington City Paper's Legal Defense Fund.

And for all the latest on the lawsuit, follow Deadspin's We Are All Dave McKenna series.

Virginia Senate Votes to Render "Renewable Energy" Meaningless

Addendum to this morning's rant.

The Virginia Senate has voted unanimously that coal-bed methane - created by the decomposition of organisms over the course of more than 300 million years - is now to be considered "renewable" energy.

Up next - a unanimous vote to consider bloodlettings as valid health care?

A Brief Rant On This Year's Virginia General Assembly Session

The thing that's bugged me about this year's Virginia General Assembly session isn't so much that, aside from a few notable bright spots, progressives are getting their asses kicked. I know Republicans control the House & governor's mansion and that Democrats hold only a slim margin in the Senate.

It's that Democrats are getting their asses kicked and they don't even seem to know it.

First an anti-livability bill passed the House with the support of five Democrats. Then the Senate unanimously passed a bill to continue shoveling millions in subsidies to coal companies that don't need them.

And today, we learn the House passed - again, unanimously - a bill to insulate factory farms from charges of animal abuse.

Doesn't the Democratic Party of Virginia have paid staffers and an allegedly full-time chair? It looks like they haven't put out a press release in two weeks. And if you click DPVA news, you get basically a blank page, which seems appropriate. What the hell are they doing with their days?

Oh, right. Important party business.

/rant

Webb's Clean Air "Obstruction By Another Name"

A New York Times editorial slams attacks on the Clean Air Act that are being supported by Sen. Jim Webb:

There are a half-dozen other such measures in circulation, at least one of which would weaken the agency’s long-held powers to regulate conventional ground-level pollutants like soot and mercury.

One or another of these bills has a real shot in the Republican-controlled House. Their chances are slimmer in the Senate, where the bigger danger is a proposal by Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, that would block any new regulations on power plants and other industrial sources for two years.

That is just obstruction by another name. It would delay modernization and ensure that more carbon is dumped into the atmosphere. History shows that regulatory delays have a way of becoming permanent. [...]

In his State of the Union address, President Obama promised to protect “common-sense safeguards” to the nation’s environment. The rules under siege in Congress will help clean the air, reduce toxic pollution in fish and slow emissions of greenhouse gases. It is hard to imagine anything more sensible than that.

As Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said, "There is a case to be made that, in the contest between corporate profits and children's lungs, someone should be standing up for children's lungs." Will Sen. Webb really choose to stand on the side of corporate profits?

Have Vehicle Fuels Advanced Since "The Dukes of Hazzard"?

When The Green Miles was 5, I was a huge Dukes of Hazzard fan. So when I couldn't find anything to watch the other night & an episode was just starting, I figured what the heck.

The episode, titled High Octane, features the Duke family entering an alternative fuel contest sponsored by the Department of Energy. They submit a batch of Uncle Jesse's moonshine whiskey & the judge not only gives him top prize, but pronounces it the best tasting fuel and/or whiskey he's ever had.

But shortly after the episode aired, oil prices came back down, President Reagan took office and slashed incentives for alternative energy & conservation, and vehicle fuels have puttered in neutral ever since. We're still putting gas or the equally-bad corn ethanol in our vehicles. And our cars & trucks don't get much better gas mileage than they did in the days of the General Lee:

Fortunately, President Obama has taken bold moves to change that, pushing for significantly higher fuel efficiency standards. The new rules will save 2 billion barrels of oil.

That 2 billion barrels works out to 40 billion gallons of gas. At $3 a gallon, that's enough to buy Americans 8 billion bottles of whiskey. Seems a much better use of the money, don't you think?

Side note: Now I know why my parents refused to watch the Dukes of Hazzard with me. Felt like they only had enough plot for 15 minutes & the writers did all they could to stretch it to an hour. I've seen dogs being taken to the vet that dragged their feet less. Also, fun to watch the General Lee jumps again. Seemed completely plausible when I was 5.

DC Moves To Protect Pedestrians With New Cameras

During the first 6 months of 2010 (the most recent data period available), 8 pedestrians were killed by cars in DC & 41 pedestrians were run down in Virginia, both sharp increases. Recently, The Green Miles wondered if traffic cameras were possible to protect pedestrians.

Turns out it's not only possible - Lisa Sutter, the head of the MPD’s photo enforcement program, wants to bring crosswalk cameras to DC:

The D.C. police are hoping to install smaller, more mobile cameras in neighborhoods around town, catching drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, block the box at intersections, or even fail to fully stop at stop signs, among other potential violations. The portable units would probably be battery- or solar-powered and affixed to small concrete pads set up around town, making them far more versatile than the permanent streetside cameras or cruiser cameras now in use. Their modest size would allow them to be used in areas where cameras couldn’t go before. [...]

The department would be continuously moving the cameras around to keep drivers guessing, and they’ll be accompanied by more signs telling drivers to obey the speed limit and stop for pedestrians. With the new technology, the units may be able to detect when a pedestrian has come to a crosswalk, then capture the plates of drivers who fail to yield. “I want to stigmatize [drivers] blowing past pedestrians,” Sutter said.

The new cameras could be on the streets this summer. Any chance we can get some over here in Northern Virginia?

I do have to wonder: Has Lisa Sutter considered the alternative of giant cats?

Short Version Of GOP Complaints About Obama's Energy Plan

How dare President Obama try to pick winners & losers among energy sources that are killing our climate, health & national security, and those that are not?

Yes, Global Warming Has Helped Trigger Past African Unrest

With ClimateProgress.org's Joe Romm linking Egyptian unrest over rising food prices to the climate crisis, Keith Kloor sneeringly dismisses Romm:

Let the record state that Egyptians have previously taken to the streets over food. For example, there were the “bread riots” in 1977, and in recent years the food riots in 2008 (which hit other parts of the world, as well). Was global warming involved in these instances, too?

Yeah, Joe! What now?

What's that you say? Maybe you should actually check if global warming contributed to an African crisis of the 1970s before using it in a taunt? I suppose:

In 2005, a series of climate modeling studies performed at NOAA / Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory indicated that the late 20th century Sahel drought was likely a climatic response to changing sea surface temperature patterns, and that it could be viewed as a combination of natural variability superimposed upon an anthropogenically forced regional drying trend.Using GFDL CM2.X, these climate model simulations indicated that the general late 20th century Sahel drying trend was attributable to human-induced factors; largely due to an increase in greenhouse gases and partly due to an increase in atmospheric aerosols. In IPCC future scenario A2 (CO2 value of ≈860 ppm) Sahel rainfall could be reduced by up to 25% by year 2100, according to climate models.

Kloor concludes that he marvels "at the hubris of someone who sees a global warming angle to the Egyptian revolt."

OH SNAP! Who'd ever link global warming to political revolt?

Huh? The Penta-what-now?

Fat Tire Rolling Into DC Area

Until just a few years ago, New Belgium Brewing's beer wasn't available east of the Mississippi River. It's been creeping slowly towards Virginia for several years, but now New Belgium is making a big move, expanding into the entire DC region:

New Belgium Brewing, maker of Fat Tire Amber Ale, announced plans today to expand their market territory along the eastern seaboard. The Colorado brewer will open Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. in September of 2011. The added territory will bring the nation’s third-largest craft brewer to 29 states.

But New Belgium isn't just coming to DC to sell beer. It'll also be pushing for clean energy & climate action:

New Belgium Brewing, the nation’s third largest craft brewery, today announced it is joining the fast-growing Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP) coalition, a group of major American businesses pushing for passage of comprehensive energy and climate legislation in the U.S.

“New Belgium has long strived to be a sustainable business role model, but we also recognize that legislative advocacy is vital to creating the conditions for widespread sustainable business practices,” said Jenn Orgolini, Sustainability Director at New Belgium. “We view BICEP as our ally in D.C., giving us the opportunity to join other business voices in advocating for aggressive energy and climate policies that address the tremendous challenges and opportunities facing our country.”

New Belgium Brewing, based in Fort Collins, CO, is considered a leader in sustainable business practices in the craft beer industry. In 1998, New Belgium became the first brewery in America to subscribe to wind energy for its electrical needs. The brewery currently produces 15 percent of its electricity onsite, by harvesting methane from its process water treatment facility to fire a co-generation engine. New Belgium recently installed the largest private solar array in Colorado at 200kW and boasts one of the lowest water-to-beer production rates in the industry.

New Belgium may not focus on using organic ingredients, but their clean energy leadership is far more critical. And don't discount the water factor out West, where the climate crisis is worsening droughts just as it is here in the Southeast.

The Green Miles has been rooting for New Belgium's Fat Tire to come to DC since he first tried a pint more than three years ago in California. It's as tasty as a craft brew, but drinkable enough that on a hot summer night you could have a couple and not feel like Mr. Creosote.

GOP Leaders Act Like Pro Wrestling Referees On Energy

"There must be this whole school where they teach you to just kind of run around and not notice anything. They sit you down, show you a film of the rubout scene from The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and if you don't see anything illegal going on, you're hired."

- Jerry Seinfeld on pro wrestling referees

The Energy Star program helps make sure your appliances use less electricity to do the same job, saving millions of Americans money. The U.S. House Republican Study Committee budget plan cries foul, targeting the program for a $52 million budget cut.

But the $36.5 billion dollars in subsidies the federal budget doles out over the next decade to oil & gas companies, which are already making massive profits off rising gas prices? The GOP doesn't see anything wrong with that - Big Oil's pork is protected by that House GOP budget blueprint.

It's a similar story here in Virginia. While Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli jokes about global warming, he sees nothing wrong with blowing billions on job-burning coal plants. And it's no surprise that Cuccinelli's top donor, the Republican State Leadership Committee, is fueled by oil, with Devon Energy & Exxon Mobil among its leading contributors.

And let's not forget George Allen, whose willingness to look the other way for Big Oil's benefit makes George W. Bush look as fair-minded as Judge Mills Lane by comparison. Allen refuses to even admit America has a problem with imported oil, saying Bush was wrong to call out our addiction. Of course, it's not the glare off his designer boots that's blinding him - George Allen has been on Big Oil's payroll for years.

But now President Obama has laid out an energy policy that sounds like it was designed by rank & file Republicans - calling for development of not just clean energy but natural gas, nuclear & even coal, if it can clean up its act. Can GOP leadership keep running around pretending to not notice gas creeping back to $4 a gallon?

When Treehuggers Dream

Friday night, I stopped by Four Courts in Arlington for a drink. Someone told me they didn't recycle, asking if that made them a bad person (I'd rather someone call their senator & ask for clean energy reform than recycle, though doing both would be ideal). After Four Courts, I got dinner at Ray's Hell Burger.

Then last night, I had a dream that I went to Burger King, which was advertising a new offering made with "recycled beef." I was about to ask what that meant, when I saw a sign under the burger's listing on the menu reading, and I swear I am not making this up, "Note from manager: Neither I nor my staff will eat this unless we've had a minimum of 5 alcoholic drinks first."

In the dream I thought to myself, maybe I'll just pass.

Thinking About Going Car-Free?

Arlington County is looking for some new skeptics:

Seattle From 520 Feet

Normally if you find yourself running down the street in a strange city, it's not good.

But in this case, the skies over Seattle had cleared for one of the only times all week & I wanted to get to the top of the Space Needle before the sun set. So a quick run from downtown seemed reasonable. Plus, I got to pretend I was Jason Statham in a bad action movie. I must find the antidote!

It was well worth it:

Seattle In 18 Words

From the light rail ride from the airport to the in-room recycling at my hotel to restaurants competing with each other to see who can carry the most local food & drink, Seattle is the greenest city I've ever visited. And yes, there really is a Starbucks on every block downtown (I heard a rumor that there are 78 in the city).

However, my overall assessment of Seattle in 18 words:

1. Seattle's an awesome city
2. Daily cold rain is soul-crushing
3. Grunge music makes a lot more sense now

Green Milestone: In-Room Hotel Recycling

The Green Miles has spent years keeping an eye on green hotels as I've traveled, mostly chronicling disappointment. But for once, I'm happy to report progress!

The first in-room recycling bin I've seen, courtesy of Seattle's Hotel Max:

My only suggestion would be to make the recycling side of the bin blue to differentiate it from the trash side, would let guests know this isn't an ordinary waste bin.

Nick Naylor's New Message: Plastic Bags Aren't So Bad!

What does it say about the plastic bag industry that they're now turning to the guy who inspired the oblivious-to-his-own-evil Nick Naylor in Thank You For Smoking?

Yes, that's who's left to defend plastic bags these days - the lobbying firm of Rick Berman, who's made millions off trying to convince you that cigarettes, chemicals, fast food & more are maybe not so bad for you.

The Arlington Sun Gazette ran a letter to the editor last week from one of Berman's minions basically claiming if you touch a reusable bag, you'll be dead before you even hit the ground. Real subtle, those corporate lobbyists are. (The Sun Gazette doesn't mention the letter writer is a paid shill for corporate interests, merely listing the misleadingly-innocuous title of the lobbying firm, because the Sun Gazette's stated editorial mission is making advertisers happy, not giving you the straight story.)

Of course, what they don't tell you is that plastic bags are made from oil, require additional toxic chemicals to produce, kill hundreds of thousands of marine animals every year & never biodegrade (check out all the gory details).

The simple truth is that breaking our bad habit of plastic bag use is good for everyone except the plastic bag industry. And really, if plastic bags are so great & indispensable, why did a measly 5 cent fee slash DC plastic bag use 80%?

Tell your Virginia General Assembly member you want a trash-free Virginia.

How Much Time & Money Does DC's Metro Save?

Here in the DC area, we spend plenty of time talking about how much our Metro system costs. But how much does it save in time, money & imported oil?

A new report from the Texas Transportation Institute puts some numbers on transit savings:

Washington ranks 6th in the nation for "operational treatment savings" -- services like management of road incidents, street signal coordination and access to HOV lanes that help mitigate traffic. These save D.C. commuters 14,315 hours of delay, the report says.

Even better, D.C. is 3rd overall for preventing delays through public transportation alternatives. Local residents save more than 34 million hours of delay at a cost of $766.6 million, and 24 million gallons of gas, according to the report.

Those numbers are actually higher than Metro itself has estimated. Its FY2012 budget (PDF) estimates annual savings of $520 million & 26 million hours of travel time.

When you add the cost of the gas (about $75 million) to the $766 million savings figure ... and think about how much money & land it would cost to accommodate the 500,000 cars Metro takes off the road ... and events like inaugurations that would be impossible without Metro's ability to move people quickly ... and all the pollution Metro keeps out of our air & water ... suddenly Metro's $1.5 billion annual budget seems like a bargain.

Update 1/22: Great analysis on how the TTI's road traffic model is flawed from GreaterGreaterWashington.org's David Alpert.

What Generation Y's Preferences Mean For Arlington's Future

One more thought on the research discussed here yesterday about Generation Y's living preferences. This is what I find so weird about attempts to kill the Westover Market Beer Garden or opposition to the East Falls Church redevelopment plan.

Current neighbors view them as shattering their quiet community. But according to this research, that's the equivalent of when those same neighbors' parents told them to knock off that darn rock & roll music.

Generation Y doesn't want single-family homes and a neighborhood that (even if it's lively during the day) demands they drive elsewhere for entertainment - any more than their parents wanted to listen to Bing Crosby. They want smart density, townhouses, a pub they can walk home from, and who knows, maybe 30 years from now some sort of transit option we haven't even considered yet - a streetcar down Washington Blvd. all the way to the Pentagon?

The Westover Market Beer Garden isn't an aberration - it's Rubber Soul, an evolutionary leap that signals a generational shift. Let's say neighbors block music at the Beer Garden - won't someone just see that untapped niche for live music & act accordingly? Maybe Samuel Beckett's would look there for a 2nd location?

This isn't about whether change is coming - it's about what will change look like. Neighborhoods like East Falls Church & Westover will never be Clarendon, but they'd be wise to learn from its history. You may not be able to stop change, but you can make sure it's doesn't look like Home Depot.

Generation Y Hates Loudoun County

At last week's National Association of Home Builders conference, panelists presented research showing the Millenials despise McMansions:

A key finding: They want to walk everywhere. Surveys show that 13% carpool to work, while 7% walk, said Melina Duggal, a principal with Orlando-based real estate adviser RCLCO. A whopping 88% want to be in an urban setting, but since cities themselves can be so expensive, places with shopping, dining and transit such as Bethesda and Arlington in the Washington suburbs will do just fine.

“One-third are willing to pay for the ability to walk,” Ms. Duggal said. “They don’t want to be in a cookie-cutter type of development. …The suburbs will need to evolve to be attractive to Gen Y.”

Outdoor space is important—but please, just a place to put the grill and have some friends over. Lawn-mowing not desired.

Makes you wonder. Who's going to live in all those McMansions when the baby boomers no longer need or want them? Will those areas redevelop sustainably, or will they just slowly revert to forest, The World Without Us-style?

A "Dear Joe" Letter to Sen. Manchin on Coal

JW Randolph of Appalachian Voices has a message for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) - "Arch Coal has a plan, and it is not you":

Well, I’m not sure how it happened. But it seems like southern West Virginia has survived its first post-apocalyptic, economy-annihilating, way-of-life-ending weekend after EPA heroically vetoed Arch Coal’s Spruce Mine permit last Thursday. As bad as Joe Manchin and Nick Rahall said life was going to be after the veto, myself and most folks in West Virginia ended up having a pretty decent weekend, all things considered. Heck, we even learned that despite the snow many if not most nearby residents are celebrating EPA’s veto of Spruce #1 mine.

Which leads me to wonder…has anyone ever been so loud and proud about shoving their head in the sand and ignoring the cries of their constituents and colleagues, the consensus of scientists, and the pleading of health professionals as loudly as Joe Manchin and Nick Rahall? Senator Manchin certainly hasn’t had a very positive first few weeks in the United States Senate. In fact, despite not taking too many big votes, he has found that his actions have already left him with a lot to apologize for. He set another high bar last week when EPA announced its decision on Spruce. Not only was his rhetoric irresponsible, but his information is just plain incorrect – particularly in asserting that EPA was “retroactively” vetoing this permit.

The whole post is long but definitely worth reading.

2010: Not Just Warmest Year, Also the Wettest

The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold. It's no wonder then that 2010, tied for the hottest year on record, was also the wettest:



Now that it's not just the temperature record showing a climate in crisis, but also the precipitation record, what should we expect next from the unlimited pollution crowd? Will Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli drag meteorologists into court, accusing them of falsifying their rain gauge records & demanding their emails?

Learn more about how the climate crisis is bringing more freak floods at NWF.org/ExtremeWeather.

Deep Thoughts on Blueberry Muffins

16 minutes seems like FOREVER when my blue heaven is waiting to come out of the oven.

While I'm waiting for my Saturday morning breakfast of Betty Crocker muffins to be ready, I thought I'd mock the tin the "wild" blueberries come imprisoned in. There's no indication of where the blueberries come from, and they're of course joined in the tin by high fructose corn syrup.

As part of the mix, the blueberries are almost an afterthought, looking tiny even on the box artwork. I mean, it's not the flour, sugar & milk I'm excited about. Nor is it the eggs, or even the vegetable oil. It's the blueberries. (I'm fully aware this package only cost me about $3 & I should temper my expectations accordingly.)

Fortunately, back in high school I spent many days in the kitchen of Rebecca's Cafe in Boston with people how actually know how to cook, like my cousin Paul Whalen & the immortal Jim Sterling. To get the muffins even close to the consistency they did, I have to add, and I am not making this up, an additional half pint of blueberries.

Finally, I can't make blueberry muffins without thinking about this scene from Casino. EQUAL AMOUNT:

Hop on Pop: National Zoo's Lion Cubs Play With Dad (Video)

Via @TitianBlonde

Monday: Conservation Lobby Day in Richmond

From the Virginia Conservation Network:

MLK Day is your day to tell legislators what you expect from them this General Assembly session. Join Virginia Conservation Network, the Garden Club of Virginia, and countless volunteers as we take our conservation priorities to the Capitol on January 17, 2011 at 8:30 a.m.

Whether you discuss energy efficiency, green building, natural resource protection, or other important conservation issues your legislators need to hear from you. Every year General Assembly members learn important information about how to do the right thing for the environment from citizens like you. Not to mention that by taking the time to discuss your position on specific legislation you hold them accountable for their vote.

Register here.

Climate Science Deniers Get Desperate

Remember the New Yorker's devastating expose on Koch Industries funding climate science denial? Apparently polluters & their allies have given up on trying to refute the article's premise. They're now desperately searching for ways to personally attack its author.

Spotlighting Giffords' Push for Solar Power

Sometimes you only become aware of people who dedicate their lives to progress because of tragedy. (Would I know the name Harvey Milk if he hadn't been gunned down?)

I had no idea what a champion of clean energy Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was until this weekend. Here's one tribute from Anne Fischer, managing editor of Solar Novus Today:

While Giffords is a US Representative, her underlying belief in solar energy addresses global concerns: Economy and jobs; Security; the Environment. In terms of boosting the economy, the need for energy is growing and the worldwide market is currently over $6 trillion a year. Security comes from the fact that solar is local power and generating energy close to where it's being used decreases dependence on imported oil. The environmental aspect of solar is clear: Generating electricity from the sun does not emit carbon, does not dirty the air, does not create oil spills. Giffords brought these points to the people and to politicians because she knows that understanding these three key benefits is imperative to the advancement of renewable energy. We applaud the work that she has done, hope for a speedy and full recovery, and look forward to the day when all share her vision of a renewable energy future.

Learn more about Rep. Giffords' push for solar power at her website.

Why Is Protecting The Clean Air Act So Critical?

If someone asks you why it's so important to fight Republican efforts to roll back the Clean Air Act, repeat this quote from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI):‎

"There is a case to be made that, in the contest between corporate profits and children's lungs, someone should be standing up for children's lungs."

In a related story in today's Washington Post, Steven Pearlstein details how Republicans are combining nonsensical job-killing rhetoric with people-killing policies.

Photo via Flickr's iDanSimpson

Who're You Gonna Believe, The American Petroleum Institute Or The Green Miles?

From today's story on the presidential oil disaster commission's final report in E&E News (subscription required):

[American Petroleum Institute] president and CEO, Jack Gerard said earlier this week at an event in Washington that "the general public today believes [the Gulf oil disaster] was an isolated incident."

"When you look at the experience of the industry, we've been in the Gulf for over 65 years and have drilled over 42,000 wells. This clearly was a rare incident," Gerard said.

Environmentalists offered a different take.

"Reality shows us that oil disasters are tragically common," Miles Grant, a spokesman for the National Wildlife Federation, wrote in an e-mail to reporters this morning. "The Deepwater Horizon wasn't even the only oil rig explosion in the Gulf last year -- another blast in September injured a worker and sent a plume of thick black smoke into the sky."

Read much more on the commission's report (free!) from Brad Johnson of the Center for American Progress.

Climate Science Denial Spins Storms Counter-Factwise

Sam Seder guest-hosted MSNBC's Countdown last week, just days after a nor'easter that dumped up to three feet of snow along the New Jersey to Massachusetts corridor. Seder said that while climate science denial is dumb any time of year, the storm drove America's climate discussion to feel several degrees stupider than it already is:



To learn more about how the climate crisis is fueling oddball winter weather, go to NWF.org/ExtremeWeather.

Tea Party Activists Used As Polluter Props

She isn't a global warming denier. She understands that clean energy & energy efficiency can make America more energy independent.

But as the Washington Post reports, a Tea Party activist was used as a prop at recent climate treaty negotiations by a front group funded by big polluters:

The caravan stopped along a dusty shoulder, opposite a large convention center housing exhibits related to the conference. Bell and her fellow activists got out, stood along the side of the road and posed for pictures. They had all been given Americans for Prosperity T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Bureaucrats Gone Wild." They held a giant novelty check made out for $100 billion, mocking a proposal to give that much money to developing nations to combat climate change.

In front of them stood Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, waiting for his cue to begin speaking into a video camera.

"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wants to give $100 billion of American taxpayer money to developing nations through the United Nations," he began. "We think that with a $1.3 trillion deficit, we don't need to be doing something like that, especially for a bogus ideology that Al Gore is pushing."

And cut. Everyone back into the vans.

It's no surprise that Koch Industries continues to fund front groups that fight regulations designed to protect our public health & natural resources. But why do Tea Party activists who should know better keep going along for the ride, in this case literally?

Top TGM of 2010

Just for giggles, the most viewed posts of 2010 on The Green Miles:

1. Small Earthquake Felt in Northern Virginia
2. The Daily Show Skewers Global Warming Deniers
3. How Few Jobs Will Wise County Coal Plant Create?

Tops in 2010 & Sneak Peek at 2011

EnergyNow.com asked me to list the top energy & environment stories of 2010 & look ahead to what to watch for in 2011. Take a look.

EPA Moves to Restore Chesapeake Bay

Since the attempts of Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) to protect his big agriculture & tobacco donors the Chesapeake Bay were flunked, I'm glad to see President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency stepping in to provide a real plan:

Shawn M. Garvin, the agency's regional administrator for the mid-Atlantic, described the plan as "the largest water pollution strategy plan in the nation" and possibly "number one or number two" in the world. He noted that it will affect "basically every drop of water that gets to the bay" from as far north as Upstate New York.

The legally enforceable road map, which runs roughly 200 pages along with 800 pages of appendices, will help determine everything from how pig farms in West Virginia will dispose of waste to the way Pennsylvania copes with stormwater runoff. Environmentalists hailed it as the most promising plan the United States has ever adopted to revive an estuary plagued by low oxygen and struggling fish and oyster populations, while some critics warned it could be costly and hard to execute.

It's saving the Bay that could be costly? Damaging the Bay has cost the economies of Virginia, Maryland & DC more than $4 billion over the last 30 years. Hopefully the EPA's plan is the first step towards real leadership on restoration - something that's been lacking in a generation worth of elected officials from both political parties.

SUV Driver Tries To Destroy Rest Stop, Fails

It's not just that SUVs use more oil hurting our national security, are a terrible investment & make the roads less safe for all of us.

It's that the people who drive them tend to be giant douches.

I'm not saying you're automatically a giant douche if you drive an SUV. But the day you buy one, you are joining a club dominated by douches. The Green Miles was driving back from Christmas with family in Massachusetts this weekend & had not one but two encounters with members of that select club.

At a rest stop in Connecticut, I was about to help The Green Mom get across the slush into the passenger side of the car when a giant Canyonero pulled into the next parking spot about six inches away from my door - then gave me a look like, "Well, you should've known I was coming." I might've said something ("Nice minivan" came to mind) but he had kids with him, so I just backed up my car, mom got in & we were on our way.

Later we stopped for gas & an SUV driver decided he'd come up with a way to beat the long lines for gas for vehicles that fill up on the left side: He'd pull up to a right-filling pump & pull the hose around to the other side.  Brilliant! What could go wrong?

As I finished filling up my car & put the nozzle back, I looked up and there was gas literally gushing out of his tank as he obliviously stared at the price meter. The hose was stretched so far that apparently the nozzle didn't make it all the way into the tank & the auto shutoff hadn't registered. His brain wasn't much of a blowout preventer, either.

The SUV driver was unaware - serenely watching the numbers as his shoes, rear wheel & tailpipe were soaked in a fountain of gasoline - I wasn't even sure whether to yell at first. "Hey! Is that gasoline?" I said.

"Oh," he said as he finally realized what was going on, "Thanks." He made no effort to clean the gasoline off himself or his car, didn't alert the attendant and immediately hopped back into his SUV & drove off, still oblivious to the world. Douche.

Conservatives Make Their Own Reality: Clean Air Act Edition

It's incredible how many Republicans were rabidly behind the unitary executive wielding unlimited power two years ago & how many Republicans today rail about checks & balances. (To be fair, James Joyner is one of the few conservatives willing to call out Bush administration jackassery.)

An incredible 71 percent of Americans say the federal government should regulate carbon pollution. Polls show that support is remarkably deep - strong majorities support regulation even if it would cost them money.

In the face of that mandate, how do conservatives reconcile their continued opposition to action? James Joyner says let's play make believe!

Frustrated that it couldn’t achieve desired environmental legislation despite huge majorities in both Houses of Congress, the Obama administration has decided to govern by executive fiat. [...]

Presidents have, since the days of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, made unilateral decisions arguably outside the scope of their Constitutional power and dared Congress or the Courts to stop them. The practice has increased over time and been made easier by Congress having delegated much of its power to Executive agencies. The consequence is an administrative state where the elected representatives of the people have a mostly reactive role, acting to check these agencies, rather than making affirmative decisions on national policy.

Let's review all the realities Joyner must ignore to make his argument here:

• The Obama administration is acting on the direction of Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, a decision from 2007's conservative Supreme Court. That decision found the Bush II administration's argument for why it shouldn't have to regulate carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act "inadequate."
• The Clean Air Act was passed by a Democratic Congress & signed by a Republican president (Bush I).
• Clean energy & climate legislation passed the House & had majority support in the Senate but failed to pass because Senate Republicans were willing to abuse the filibuster in historic numbers.
• How many individual EPA regulations get an up or down vote before the full Congress? Just six months ago, the Senate confirmed its approval of carbon regulations under the Clean Air Act (the House did not vote but would certainly have overwhelmingly approved).

It's the classic move of a climate peacock for Joyner to claim his opposition to climate action is based on some sort of procedural grievance. Well, you know, I'm not some science-denying fossil fuel-shilling ignoramus like Sen. Jim Inhofe ... but but but ... what would Jefferson say?

What would Jefferson do about global warming? I think Jefferson would get off his ass & do something instead of sitting around conjuring whiny complaints about process. Don't you?

Arlington County's Green Jail

Congratulations to Arlington County's Courthouse & Detention Center for earning the Energy Star label. The improvements won't just cut energy use & carbon pollution - they'll pay for themselves within a little over a decade.

Hey, maybe that jail is where they'll throw The Green Miles after I get arrested for not using a plastic bag at the VA ABC store!

Possibility of Wind Farm to Ruin Christmas

The concerns of nearby residents are one of many things that need to be considered when deciding where to put a wind farm. But fears in Virginia's Tazewell County seem to be getting a little ... well, exaggerated. Here's a recent column from the local paper:

While Christmas stories fill the season with hope and love, there is always a story about the Grinch who stole Christmas. With Dominion Resources recent announcement that it is acquiring 100 percent ownership of a 2,600-acre tract of land on East River Mountain for the purpose of developing the proposed Bluestone River Wind Farm, the Grinch is back — at least in the opinion of area people who oppose the windmills for many reasons. 

Yeah, you remember the Grinch? And that Dr. Seuss story about how he tried to build a $200 million project in Whoville that would deliver $10 million in local tax revenue & $10 million in related development? THE NERVE.

"Many reasons" looks more like reason being completely replaced by the fear of something new. Residents say they worry about property value, but even the National Association of Realtors says wind farm impact on property values is minimal (if existent at all). Residents express concern about unsightliness, but take a look at how the windmills would look in these Dominion projections:

I mean, really? Seeing these pictures, I could only be reminded of the melodramatic OH MY GOD of South Park's Randy Marsh. That's what you're protesting? The dots on the ridgeline?

It always strikes me as weird that people in places like Tazewell County suddenly act all protective of their land when all I had to do was a Google Map search of "Tazewell County, VA" to quickly find sites like this:

Massive open-pit mines? No problem! Windmills off in the distance? Christmas ruined. How does that work?

And in the big picture, for every windmill we don't build, we need to rely on that much more coal power, which annually kills thousands of people via air pollution & dozens more in mine disasters.

But it's hard to feel much sympathy for electric utilities in this case. They've stood by & watched for years as Republicans & Rush Limbaugh have trashed renewable energy as a socialist plot to leave your children shivering in the dark, because in the short term they were doing just fine making money off of coal power. I wonder if they regret it now.